By Jacquelynn Engle, M.S., I.C.P.S., Kidsnow Plus Coordinator
Regional Prevention Center of Seven Counties Services, Inc.
Here is something that most people don’t know. If a woman avoids alcohol for the entire nine months of pregnancy, she has prevented the leading known cause of mental retardation in the United States: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Many women stop drinking as soon as they find out they are pregnant, but alcohol can affect an unborn baby even before a woman knows she’s pregnant. The developing brain is highly vulnerable to the poisonous effects of alcohol at every stage of pregnancy – even the last trimester.
(Read the article)
It really is one of the toughest things to do in the world. If you regret starting and just want to quit, the Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness and the Kentucky Partnership in Cancer Control offers classes that can help you stop smoking. (Read the article)
Submitted by Stephanie K. Benson, MS
Regional Prevention Center of Seven Counties Services, Inc.
I was asked to write an article on underage drinking, I was a little baffled. There are so many problems associated with underage drinking: health, violence and psychological issues - just to name a few. A colleague was kind enough to send me a few of the previous articles that were submitted on the subject. They were all great! They covered topics like underage drinking knowledge, side effects specific to teens, and even how family dinners can reduce teen drinking. But they didn’t help. I was still undecided. (Read the article)
Dinners Makes a Difference
By: Tamela Russell Pumphrey, MA
Seven Counties Regional Prevention Center
As a teen, dinner time in my home meant, upon my fathers’ arrival from work, the entire family would meet at the table to share a meal. Little did I know that by engaging in this evening ritual, my parents were lowering the odds that we would become involved with smoking, drinking or drugs.
High school prom and graduation are important milestones in a young person’s life, and the season is often marked with parties, outings, and other celebrations. During this time, teens may feel more pressure to celebrate by partying with illicit drugs, alcohol, or even prescription (Rx) drugs.
Grants have been awarded to champion groups around the Seven Counties region from Kentucky ASAP, region 6. These monies are applied to specific programs to help create a region free of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.
Plans are underway for the 33rd Annual PRIDE World Drug Prevention Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. (Read the article)
By Vicki Serrano, MA/CPS
For over ten years now, I have worked with young people who have been cited for an underage DUI offense, also known as a “zero tolerance” offense in Kentucky (blood alcohol level of anything over a .02%). As December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, I want to talk for a few minutes to parents. There is information you need to know. There are things your children are doing that you aren’t aware of. (Read the article)
Region 6 KY ASAP Local Board is pleased to announce the following recipient of mini grants:
Written by: Dodie Huff-Fletcher, Ph.D. Submitted by Deanna Felts, M.S.
Prevention Division of Seven Counties Services, Inc.
How much do you know about underage drinking? I just took a web quiz conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that tests people’s knowledge about underage drinking and I was surprised to find that many people who take the quiz don’t score so well. The quiz questions come from research sponsored by member agencies of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking.
